Student behavior in the classroom is a major issue for teachers
around the United States of America. There are frequent news stories
about youth violence, inappropriate punishment and parental
dissatisfaction. Very few students are touted as good citizens and
fewer schools or districts are held up as molders of respectful
conduct. Some of these observations may be the product of biased
perspective or political agenda. Still, such statistics as "270,000
guns being taken to school each day" (Haugen, 1997) is proof enough
of student behavior gone terribly awry.

It seems the harder we push for tight discipline and sever
punishment the more irreverent students become. When students are
given a free reign they seem to flaunt disrespectful and
irresponsible behavior. The papers and pundits that have explored
this issue are innumerable and range from the opinions of too few
rules to our schools act like prisons.

In contrast, other industrialized nations seem to out pace our
academic ability and still maintain societal peace and coexistence.
The most dramatic of these relationships is between the United States
and Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea. The following
academic statistics come from the Third International Mathematics and
Science Study (TIMSS) of 1994-95. The ranking of third grades
students in math places Korea first, Japan third, and the United
States tenth (Third International..., 1998). In comparison, the 1986
homicide rate from Japan was 1.3/100,000, from Korea was 1.4/100,00
(UNCJIN , 1998), and from the United States was 8.6/100,000 (UNCJIN ,
1998).

This modest paper could not possibly hope to answer the vexing
question of "Why are our school children out of control?" What this
exploration will do is demonstrate how Japan's teachers, schools and
society cope with discipline. Constructivist views on questioning and
mediation will be accessed as a passage to empowering student
accountability. Specific activities will be offered as exercises in
peer directed classroom behavior modification. A survey of students
who have participated in these activities will help demonstrate the
results of these activities. Such notions are a true challenge to our
dominant paradigm and appear as a gauntlet for change.

Japanese Peer Discipline

Before young children enter kindergarten in Japan they often seem
pampered or spoiled by their parents. Through the elementary years
children are assumed to be good, but with the inability to understand
inappropriate behavior (Shields, 1989, p. 14). This lenience at home
is very deliberate. In fact schools often send literature to parents
describing how to establish a home environment. John Singleton
describes two pieces of advice that come from a popular book. It
calls on parents to provide a relaxing environment and to train their
children (Peak, 1991, pp. 33-34). Relaxation at home is said to be
important because "The family is the oasis of the heart. It is a
place where one can draw a breath of relief from the outside world."
They go on to say that "If the family atmosphere is permissive
[kyoyoteki], the child will have a feeling of stability from
which will develop a calmly confident [oraka] style of
behavior" (p. 33). The training, or shitsuke, of a child at home
means to "develop good daily habits and self-reliance in matters of
cleanliness, diet, elimination, clothing and sleep" (p. 34). Behavior
and academic skills are noticeably absent.

This attitude towards younger children is shared by teachers in
the kindergartens and elementary schools. Teachers avoid direct
disciplinary confrontation with students relying instead on the power
of peer pressure to gradually modify behavior. The power of community
is established through many explicitly written objectives. For
instance, the September expectations for students at the Mountain
City Preschool are to become both self reliant (independent from the
teacher) and to accomplish activities with the help of other students
(p. 71). In most schools every class has its own name and each grade
is designated by colored boots, jackets and packs (p. 22). Another
interesting student activity at school is the hansei. Hansei is a
time set aside at the end of the day for students to apologize to
each other for their wrongs. Whether it was inappropriate use of
cleaning materials or forgetting ones books, all students confess
their short comings (Kristof, 1997, p. 43). This building of
community in the classroom obligates each child to a social contract
which will ultimately bind them to the greater society as a
cooperative, responsible member.

Japanese Discipline Techniques

Teachers often develop social acquiescence through four
techniques: (a) modeling good behavior, (b) instructing individual
students, (c) seconding requests for appropriate behavior, and (d)
keeping the class waiting for compliance (p. 129). Teachers
exaggerate and meticulously describe desired behaviors when
introducing a new concept like hand washing or sitting politely. From
that time on the teacher overdraws the behavior in themselves,
praises the desired "skill" in other students and calmly points out
the lack of skill with inappropriate individuals (p. 130). It is
believed that children progress in their skill at an individual pace,
so the teacher very politely, and persistently, will repeat requests
until this issue is ultimately dropped, or the teacher actively
assists the student (p. 131). Seconding is a powerful way to place
classroom control in the hands of the students. The teacher will
often wait for a student to make a demand of the class like "Shut
up!" The teacher then politely acknowledges the request and affirms
it with "Yes, let's all be quiet" (p.132). The final way to produce
group pressure is to make all students wait until the results of a
request are accomplished. The teacher holds the modeling position and
waits patiently until all students are ready to proceed. This can
often take more than five minutes (p.132).

These techniques take the responsibility of discipline away from
the teacher and places it on the students. Until all students are
ready to move in unison nothing happens; until the group is of one
mind no one individual can progress. A Tokyo teacher powerfully
explained to her class that "Without getting four good tires
together, a car can't proceed. Without getting everyone together, our
class can't proceed either. We've still got some flat tires in here"
(p. 133).

Bullying

There is a dark side to this culturally pervasive group
identification. These educational techniques have been institutional
since 1871 (Monbusho, 1997, p.22), so today's effects have rippled
through many generations. The notion of conformity before progression
transcends every individual's life choices. Something as superficial
and personal as a hair style can bring intolerance and even
violence.

During 1984 in a Hokuriku junior high school there was a boy who
had been beaten almost daily. His peers would corner him into a
storage room at school or in an alley on his way home and hit him.
His teachers would taunt and tease him by dousing him with chalk dust
or hitting him with a bamboo sword. The misbehavior of this student
was not apparently harmful. He did not distract his classmates or use
inappropriate language. His malfeasance was the length of his hair.
As a symbol of group identity all the other boys at school wore their
hair in a crew cut. This boy had even talked over this decision to
grow his hair with the teacher, and his parents, ahead of time.
Still, the pressure to ensure conformity obligated everyone in the
school community to punish this transgression (Shields, p.
148-149).

Social mobility and professional promotion in Japan is
inextricably linked to conformity. This distaste for individuality
encourages groups of students to actively confront their peers and
force compliance. Often, the points of enforcement are arbitrarily
defined by powerful members of the group. The result is rampant
bullying. 76.9 percent of Tokyo public schools reported bullying
between April of 1984 and March of 1985. 5,450 cases were reported in
elementary schools, 3,519 in Junior High Schools, and 515 in High
Schools. 70 percent of the bullying was categorized as psychological
(p.150).

To combat this major bullying problem the Ministry of Education,
Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho) has tried to emphasize the
development of individuality and diversity among students. The
"Educational Reform Program" of 1997 places a "high value on the
aspect of fostering children to have a sense of justice, kindness,
creativity and consciousness as a member of international society,
putting emphasis on individuality..." (Monbusho, p. 6). The plan
calls for schools to build coalitions with other institutions and
organizations to provide counseling and materials.

Japan's culture has been built around selfless abdication to the
community. Their efforts are supposed to benefit everyone, but
sometimes at the loss of individuality and humanitarian sensibility.
This system works great for building consensus and diluting dissent.
It also stifles creativity and innovation. Harold Hodgkinson, an
educational demographer, mused that this is why there are so few
Nobel Prize winners from Japan (Bracey, 1997). This system of
acquiescence is great for intrinsically developing self discipline.
Still, is there a way to inspire internal dialogue without
evaporating the student's precious originality and delicate
creativity?

Constructivism

In the United States of America our societal motivation is towards
selfish individuality and concrete results. Every effort we exert
must contain a tangible, physical reward. Every investment of time or
money must have a palpable, profitable outcome. Our educational
directive is also geared towards the quantifiable, the product. We
are so obsessed with test scores that the notion of self-actualized
thoughtful students is subservient to the discharge of quantifiable
facts. With regards to discipline, teachers are preoccupied with
constant control. A class can not deteriorate into free discussion
and unchecked expression. Sometimes this is out of fear for negative
perceptions from peers and parents, and sometimes it comes from the
legacy of control that our ancestors and mentors passed on to us.

One way out of the cycle of teacher directed, centralized control
is through the constructivist theory. This educational philosophy
encourages students to construct their understandings based on the
world around them. Four goals of this theory are for students to (a)
take responsibility for their own learning, (b) become autonomous
thinkers, (c) connect integrated and interlaced ideas, and (d) ask
and actively answer important questions (Brooks, 1993, p. 13).

When we relate these four ideas to behavior there are powerful
opportunities to be realized. Supplant the words learning, thinking
and ideas from above, and in their place use the word behavior. We
would now ask students to take responsibility for their behavior,
become self-governing in their behavior, and find correlations in
their behavior from one circumstance to another. On the fourth point,
students are still asked to initiate questioning and pursue
answering, now from the perspective of how their actions affect
others.

One of the greatest challenges in this endeavor is to find
mediation between the suppositions of students regarding their
behavior, and the educator's need for a respectful, happy classroom.
This gap can be closed through the use of carefully constructed
questions. These questions will first help the teacher to understand
the perspective of the student, and then to help guide the student to
a desirable, considerate, accountable action. To help the question
find it's mark the teacher must pose it in a relevant context. One of
the most powerful ways is to simply ask "How is your behavior
affecting this current lesson?" While some students may find this an
opportunity to belittle the importance of the lesson, the teacher, or
the school there will always be other students who are engaged and
excited about the material.

Constructivism invites creative exploration which allows for the
possibility of mistakes. The role of the teacher, through the
questioning process, is to, metaphorically, help pick up the students
once they have fallen and then to assist them in evaluating the
circumstances so that they can keep their balance in the future.

Combining Ideas

Let us now bring these two educational ideas together. First, we
use the peer directed techniques from Japanese education.These give
us the opportunity to breakdown the selfish perspectives of our
students so that they can begin to acknowledge and appreciate the
other people in their class. Acclimation, for most teachers and
students, would be difficult if it were done too quickly. To aid in
the transition we apply constructivist theory so that personal
experiences can be accessed to provide relevant context.

These two philosophies are actually quite closely related. Both
are student directed which encourages intrinsic motivation. When the
students achieve personal self control then they do not need rules or
laws to scare them into accountability; they desire the environment
and esteem that comes with self actualization. Both view the teacher
as a valuable guide through the process. Without the teacher
available to provide relevant questions regarding kindness and
boundaries there is a possibility of bullying and dangerous
activities. Both require patience from the teacher and surrendering
to the process. Until students can find their own way to the truth
they will always need an external master; be it teacher, parent, gang
or government.

The Formula

The goal of this behavior modification plan is to help students
find the reason for, and the techniques to, achieve "good behavior"
consistently throughout the year. Each teacher will define good
behavior in their own way. That definition will provide the context
and content of the questions asked. For the purpose of this paper the
definition of good behavior is "when our actions do no harm to
ourselves or others." Again, this should not necessarily be the goal
of each teacher. Also, the specifics of implementation must vary by
class, grade, school and community. The questions and situations that
follow were explored with kindergarten, first, second, third and
fifth grade general music students at Graland Country Day School
between February 2nd and April 10th, 1998.

Modeling

The first objective, taken from the Japanese system, is modeling
good behavior. The teacher stands as the ultimate example of
community guidelines. When the teacher displays inappropriate
behavior it is a powerful invitation for the students to be improper.
Likewise, when the teacher is able to demonstrate the highest order
of self control in the most demanding of situations then the students
have an accurate example to emulate.

Here is one example. The teacher is introducing a new percussion
instrument, a maraca, to the kindergarten students. The teacher
chooses the instrument, joins the student's circle, sits cross-legged
on the floor and places the maraca on the floor in front of him. In
the Japanese system he would slowly explain this process as it
unfolds: "I quietly walk to the shelf and choose my instrument. I
bring it back to the circle without playing it. I sit with my bottom
on the floor and gently place the maraca in front of me."

Using a constructivist method he can elicit the same description,
but student driven. "Can someone raise their hand and tell how I
brought the maraca to the circle?"

One student might say "You ran to the shelf and grabbed the
maraca."

The teacher would then clarify "Did I run really fast to
the shelf?"

This would allow the student an opportunity to clarify how fast
the teacher moved and whether he actually ran. The teacher would then
give closure to this dialogue by asking why would it not be a good
idea to run to the shelf. The teacher then opens the question to the
other students to draw out more ideas about running in the classroom.
This supports the first student's observations and reinforces the
idea form a variety of perspectives.

This process may have to be repeated for each individual aspect of
the activity. As the students become comfortable with the process
they move more quickly and precisely through their answers. The
students may want to fully explore all the possibilities of the
question. This is where the teacher must surrender to the process and
realize that meticulous groundwork will ultimately pay off in a far
more efficient and effective classroom; not because the teacher said
so, but because the children want it so.

Individual Instruction

All students learn at different rates and in varying ways. While
some may quickly understand the questions and their contexts others
could still be struggling with language skills. Some may be very good
watchers while others need kinesthetic experiences. Therefore, it is
sometimes necessary to spend individual instruction time with one
student. This is the second Japanese instructional technique. The
challenge comes when there are twenty other students in the
classroom. Teachers who must control every aspect of management and
instruction may see this as a daunting job. Students in these
classrooms need constant adult stimuli to stay on task and to be
engaged. By applying constructivist principles the teacher can
actually create opportunities to work with individual students.

Constructivist teachers "encourage and accept student autonomy and
initiative" (Brooks, p.103), "encourage students to engage in
dialogue, both with the teacher and with one another" (p. 108), and
encourage "students to ask questions of each other" (p. 110). One
great environment for this type of independent promotion is working
in small groups. While there are many implementations of cooperative
education this paper will not explore their specifics. Again, this
example is meant to illustrate individual instruction.

A class of fifth grade students are writing lyrics for a blues
song using the form A - A - B; same - same - different. Each phrase
of music is a complete idea, repeated twice then responded to. The
teacher first models the style through performance and then elicits
observations and definitions. The students are directed to divide
themselves into small groups of three or four and apply the
previously modeled compositional technique. As the groups create and
implement their ideas the teacher is free to move around the class
and engage individuals and groups with relevant behavioral and
academic questions.

The teacher sees a student playing various percussion instruments.
An initial response might be to scold the child for disturbing other
students and herd them back to their group. The constructivist
approach would be to personally approach the student and ask a
relevant question like "Why are you playing these instruments?"

The student replies "We want to add some more rhythm to our
blues."

"Excellent," responds the teacher. "How do you think the sound is
affecting the other students who are also working?"

"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't even think I was being noisy" says the
student.

The teacher replies "You do not have to apologize to me. Is their
a way to check with other students to see how they feel?"

"Yeah," says the student. "I'll ask them."

The teacher can afford to be more patient with this individual
because the other students are genuinely engaged.. Each student is
going to perceive and apply behavior according to their
circumstances. The teacher must be able to mediate their unique
suppositions and help lead them to an understanding of their impact
on the world around them. Without clarifying the students reasoning
the teacher could have diminished the scope of the composition, and
worse, applied one more layer of indiscriminate power indulgence to
the child's psyche.

Seconding Requests

The third Japanese instructional technique is seconding student's
requests for appropriate behavior. Seconding means to acknowledge,
approve and support the requests of students. To begin with, students
must feel confident enough to verbalize their observations of
classroom behavior. This is brought about by internal motivation to
persist with the lesson, assurance that their comments will be
backed, and enough chaos time to desire relief.

Either the lesson, or the appetite to learn, must be strong enough
to face down the dragon of peer misbehavior. A constructivist teacher
can pose problems that will be relevant and engaging through "hooks"
(Brooks, p. 37), questions and discussions. Once they are engaged in
enjoyable education the momentum is to learn. If some students become
distracting those that are harmed must know that they can speak out
in safety. Building this confidence is a gradual process and is
reinforced every time the teacher acknowledges a student's statement.
It sometimes takes a deafening cacophony of chatter to motivate
dissent. Again, the teacher must be extremely patient to let the
process take its course.

Once a student does exhibit dissatisfaction with behavior the
teacher is precise and timely with their questions. The exhibition
may manifest as a "shut up," a "shhhh" or even hands over the ears.
As soon as this second grade student shows their aversion to the
noise the teacher asks in a moderate even tone "Why are you covering
your ears?"

The student replies "Because it is way too loud."

Naturally, most other students could not hear this so the teacher
calmly asks the class "Did you hear what Katie said?" After a second
request for silence the teacher repeats the question and now
additionally directs it to an individual, "Rebecca, did you hear what
Katie said?"

Rebecca replies in an embarrassed voice "no."

The teacher returns to the first student, "Katie, can you tell us
again why you where covering your ears."

"It is way to loud in here," says Katie again.

"I agree," says the teacher. A third student request compounds the
previous teacher questions with "Can someone who was talking loud
raise their hand?" Shyly, Robert raises his hand. "Wow. It is so
brave and noble of you to admit it. That is a real cool thing to do!
Robert, what could you do to help Katie so she does not have to cover
her ears?"

"I can sit quietly and listen?" he half asks and half states.

"That's a great plan. Let's give it a try," retorts the teacher
and continues with the lesson.

By seconding Katie the teacher helps to create an expectation that
is student driven. Seconding Robert gives the student esteem points
for being responsible for his own behavior, and at the same time
censures the original action. It is very difficult to be patient and
let a class get to the point of near chaos, but without the
opportunity to fall, children will never learn how to pick themselves
up. When they do take that responsibility seconding provides a
positive reinforcement.

Waiting

As observed in the previous technique waiting for the appropriate
behavior is a powerful motivator. As time passes without resolution
students can get a little cranky. Waiting for first graders to line
up for lunch is a classic situation.

The students are dismissed from the lesson to quietly gather their
coats and lunches and line up at the door. Students scurry around
talking and playing instruments. Several students are lined up and
ready to go. The noise continues and the teacher patiently waits by
the door modeling quietness and posture. Eventually the line leader
says "Can we go now?"

"We can go as soon as everyone is quiet and lined up, so that we
do not disturb the other classes," replies the teacher.

"Hey, everyone line up!" yells the leader. "They won't
listen."

The teacher's response is "Can you get someone to help you?"

The student recruits a friend and they walk around the room asking
everyone to quietly line up so the class can go to lunch. There are a
few minor conversations that continue, but as the chorus of "shhhhhs"
builds everyone is eventually quiet.

The first few opportunities to use this exercise will take time
and patience. Soon the students understand the expectation and
quickly pull themselves together as a unit. The most difficult time
comes when loud students respond with "You're not the boss of me."
With a few carefully directed questions regarding polite requests,
and severe hunger pains, these are resolved. This is where the
specter of bullying arises. Students taking leadership roles need to
be monitored closely to help develop a polite, respectful,
responsible role.

Survey And Observations

As an evaluation of this behavior modification process both
students and observing teachers were surveyed as to their
perceptions. Fifth grade students were given a written survey form,
first and third grade students were verbally surveyed and teachers
were appraised through conversations.

The student surveys gave a great deal of statistical information.
There were two questions with two parts each that could be answered,
or interpreted, in either the positive or the negative.

The (a) part of the first question asked on the fifth grade survey
was "How did it work to have students lead activities?" The question
was meant to be open ended so that these older students would have
room for elaboration. Most answers could be easily interpreted as
good or bad: "It did work and it was a lot of fun," "Nobody
listened." Out of seventy-nine responses 33% felt it did work and 67%
felt it did not work. The (b) part of the first question asked "What
would you do to make it possible for fellow students to be successful
leaders?" This question was designed to encourage class discussion on
the process. Out of fifty-eight responses the three most frequent are
paraphrased as: (1) be a better listener [21], (2) enforce
rigorous work standards [8], and (3) model good behavior and
work skills [6].

The (a) part of the second question was "How did it work to have
students monitor their own behavior and modify the behavior of fellow
students?" Again, this question was meant to provide an interpreted
positive or negative response. Individual statements ranged from "No
one took us seriously," to "it worked good for small problems."
Sixty-six answers were given with 27% saying it worked well and 73%
saying it did not work. The (b) part of the second question was again
open ended: "What would you do to encourage respectful behavior
without teacher intervention?" There were sixty-three responses with
the three most frequent paraphrased statements being (1) punish
students more severely [16], (2) give rewards to change
behavior [12], and peer direction does not work, the teacher
must handle it all [9].

Discussions were used to review the written statements. A frequent
stated belief was that students do not have any self control and
should therefore not be given any position of power. They were told
the philosophy of student control in Japanese schools, particularly
that substitutes teachers are not used (Kristof, 1997, p. 42). Often,
the response was that people in the United States do not care about
each other and that we have bad intentions. Not all statements were
negative. One class was very attentive to the survey and discussion,
and quite excited about the peer directed activities of the previous
weeks. One student from that class explained that by fifth grade
students were old enough to know right from wrong. She went on to say
that they ultimately needed neither a teacher, nor each other to
monitor behavior. "Everyone should be able to take responsibility for
themselves."

The first and third grade students were asked to raise their hands
to either the positive or negative of similar questions. The (a) part
of the first question was "Did it work to have students lead
activities?" Thirty first grade students raised their hands with 66%
saying it did work and 34% saying it did not work. Out of thirty-nine
third grade students 72% said it did work and 18% said it did not
work. The (b) part of question one was "Did you like having student
leaders?" Thirty-eight first graders responded with 70% liking the
activities and 30% disliking them. Thirty-eight third grade students
participated with an equal distribution, 50%, liking and
disliking.

The second question also had two parts: (a) How did it work to
have students be responsible for behavior, not the teacher?" and (b)
Did you like having students be responsible for their behavior?"
Thirty-three first graders responded to (2a) with 39% saying it
worked and 61% saying it did not. There were thirty-seven third grade
responses with 55% believing it worked and 45% that it didn't. For
question (2b) out of thirty-three first graders 52% liked it and 48%
did not. With thirty-one third graders 62% liked it and 38% did
not.

A common complaint from first graders about the process was that
students tended to pick and side with their friends. They also felt
that student leaders moved too slow and had to really think about
what they wanted. The first graders did like the natural consequences
of bad behavior (e.g. waiting and missing music time). The third
grade students again felt that student were biased and that they were
also "bossy." Many felt that they had learned self control and that
they had more opportunities to "do the right thing." Most students in
the three grades believed that they had personally grown respectful
from the experience, but doubted the integrity and growth of their
peers.

The combined statistics of positive responses to all questions was
52%. First grade students were the most positive, averaging 62%
approval. Third graders were close behind with 60% positive
responses. Fifth grade students were 30% approving.

Faculty Observations

The head of the visual and performing arts team, Tony Catanese,
observed a first grade class involved in this process. He was
impressed by how it encouraged adaptability and creativity, and
supported individuality. He commented on how powerful the impact was
to have students articulate appropriate behavior. "The students
listened and respected each other without defensiveness." While time
was needed to establish student expectations he noted that the
students ultimately developed more focus and productivity following
the discussions. Mr. Catanese teaches students through ninth grade
and saw many available corollaries for this method's use with older
students. He was concerned that some older students would be
defensive and others might inappropriately control their peers. We
agreed that careful monitoring and a gradual acclimation to the
process was necessary. He thought that best results would come from
annual progression starting in lower grades and a school wide
acknowledgement that the process was on-going; not that other
teachers must participate.

A fifth grade teacher, Dorothy Harrington, observed that she too
had had difficulty doing peer directed activities with her students.
She had traveled to Japan on a Fulbright Fellowship and studied many
aspects of the Japanese educational system. She had hoped to apply
some of the traditional Japanese procedures, but found that students
here were not able to easily accommodate community driven
constructs.

Karen Talifero is a kindergarten teacher who, at the writing of
this paper, had attempted some of the above techniques. She was
concerned with how to "find the balance between behavior
accountability and keeping the group focused on the big picture." She
also questioned the potential "labeling" of children who misbehave by
their classmates as "problems." Overall, she was very supportive of
the process and found that it held the notion of "less is more." She
observed that while it may seem to detract from content driven
curriculum in the short term, this method would provide in depth
exploration of techniques, and therefore better learners, in the long
term.

Carrie Duits, the lower school head (K-3), observed a third grade
class and was impressed by the amount of academic content that the
students were able to apply. Her concern was that too much process
time might interfere with content time. This concern was quickly
dispelled once she observed the knowledge and skills of the students.
Mrs. Duits observed that the organization of the teacher's
questioning and manipulating helped to establish a clear direction
for the students. She felt that teacher modeling was a key to
establishing behavior and academic expectations. The length and depth
of questioning was seen as positive reinforcement. A very powerful
observation was that the teacher did not concertize the student
directed process, but rather allowed himself to occasionally "shift"
power back for the purpose of class tempo and the establishment of
boundaries.

Conclusion

Ultimately, every individual must take responsibility for
themselves. At some point in a child's life they need to have the
tools and experiences to be both an independent thinker, and a
manager of character. This method of peer directed behavior
modification gives students these skills and the opportunity to
practice in a safe environment. The teacher helps students develop
their communicative abilities through carefully directed questions
and a patient demeanor. To help the students understand what is
appropriate, respectful behavior the teacher models actions,
instructs individuals, seconds requests and applies waiting. Rather
than dictating the procedure, the teacher mediates student's
suppositions about behavior so that their final conclusions and
applications are relevant.

The older students seemed to have more difficulty with these
collaborative, community driven concepts. They were resistant to any
activity without strict, clear and externally monitored expectations.
Younger students loved the opportunities to develop social skills.
While it took a bit of time to introduce and acclimate students to
the process they eventually got to the point of proactive conflict
resolution. They seemed equally excited to conquer their emotions as
to make ruckus music. Other teachers were impressed with the
perceived patience of the facilitator. The development of patients
grew as the process evolved. Still, the method was not total
encompassment of every lesson. As with all things in life there must
be moderation and context. No one tool is perfect for every
situation.

This process would ultimately work very well for many teachers in
the United States to help balance the irreverent independence we now
experience. It may not be appropriate for some teachers and should
therefore never be forced. The ultimate outcome of the process is to
let individuals find their way in the forest of the community. There
is no one perfect path. Besides, if everyone were on the same path it
would get rather crowded. Therefore we must constructively interact
and inquire with all those we work with, teachers and students,
parents and administrators. When we work together life is no longer a
chore, it becomes a joy.

Bracey revues the notion that Japanese and Asian-American students
seem better educated than others in the United States and other Asian
countries. He concludes that there are a variety of variables
including effort, income and parental education.

Haugen, Heidi L. (1997). Prevention of Youth Violence; A Resource
Guide for Youth Development and Family Life Professionals and
Volunteers. In Cornell Cooperative Extension [Online].
Available: http://www.nnfr.org/nnfr/Youth_Violence.html [1998,
April 2].

This is an extensive resource for practical information on the
prevention of youth violence. There are segregated subjects for peer
behavior to violence preventions strategies; role models to anti
biased curriculum. Each subject is well defined with great
references. There are dozens of authors and links listed to help with
research.

Kristof, Nicholas D. (1997, August 17). Where Children Rule. The
New York Times Magazine, 40.

Kristof uses his perspective the a parent of a foreign student to
observer and analyze Japanese public schools. His perspective is less
academic and more anecdotal which provides relevant references to
other academic theories.

This government booklet reads like a travel brochure describing
the highlights of the Japanese educational system. It does include
some critical analysis, but mostly describes the institutions from an
objective perspective.

Peak, Lois (1991). Learning To Go To School In Japan. Berkely, Los
Angeles, Oxford: University of California Press.

Peak explores how Japanese preschools (kindergartens) transform
indulged infants into cooperative, disciplined students through play
and classroom community expectations.

Shields, James J., Jr. (1990). Japanese Schooling: Patterns of
Socialization, Equality, and Political Control. University Park,
London: The Pennsylvania State University Press.

Shields has compiled and introduced twenty-one authors and their
essays concerning the Japanese educational system. He divided the
essays into three parts: (a) patterns of socialization in the family
and at school, (b) discontinuities in moral education and educational
equality, and (c) the politics of education: issues of centralization
and national identity.

Third International Mathematics and Science Study (1997). TIMSS
Highlights from the primary grades. In CSTEEP, Boston College
[Online]. Available:
http://wwwcsteep.bc.edu/TIMSS1/HiLightA.html [1998, April
2].

This site contains results of the TIMSS from 1994-95. Dozens of
countries are ranked numerically, with their scores. This study
covered third and fourth grade students in the subjects of math and
science.